Mysterious Knocking Sound

[BurgerGuy]

UPDATE: This was not the fix...sigh.

Alright so I know what it is.

Front sway bar brackets are the culprit. I have the APR (Hotchkis) bars and had the updated brackets sent to me. Problem is, the new brackets also require new washers as the stronger brackets leave less room for the washers sent out with the older brackets. So the updated brackets are installed, but I'm using the old hardware. Modified the larger washer so that it would fit within the sizing of the new bracket, but the washers on the rear side of the bracket are kinda toast from use I suppose. So much that I couldn't torque them all the way down without the bolt being slowly pulled through the bracket and spacer. Awesome. Now the car drives even worse as, over time, the bolts have come loose and I haven't had the time go crawl under the car again to tighten them until my replacement parts come from Hotchkis.

I've just about had it with this whole ordeal as I've been dealing with it since July (maybe June) and I'm seriously considering just buying another front sway bar to get away from this crap. So yea. That's the update. Frustrating.

Oh and I switched back to the stock end links because the custom adjustable ones I built were rubbing the passenger side axle. No bueno.

 

[BurgerGuy]

This wasn't the fix either...

Previous post is not accurate. Finally figured out this noise yesterday when I was working on the car. I had the strut mounts/bearings replaced a week or two ago which seemed to, once again, eliminate the noise. That lasted all but a day or two.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. I was servicing the TyrolSport guide pins on the front calipers (remove, clean, re-grease, re-install). When I got to the last/most difficult one to re-install due to my lovely brake line being in the way, I noticed that it was significantly more loose than the other guide pins. Lubed it up, installed and tightened appropriately, and went on a drive. Zero noise. ZERO.

I'm aware that not too many people have this caliper stiffening kit installed so this noise may just be isolated to my car, but it's worth checking regardless if they've ever been removed or anything like that from your own car. Lets hope I don't have to update this thread ever again. Stupid guide pin.

 

[BurgerGuy]

Alright so now it's back and worse than ever. The loudest is typically on right turns, but I hear it on left turns now too and under heavy braking in a straight line. I really have no idea what the problem is. I've replaced the strut mounts/bearings, ensured the end links are tight, and even drove around with the end links disconnected and it still happened, but it was not as intense. My guess is that was mainly because the front of the car was not as tight anymore with the sway bar just hanging out there.

I can feel it in the gas/brake pedal that something is off. If I go over bumps while turning and it doesn't make the noise I still feel this clicking/churning feeling through the pedals. I took a look under the car this afternoon and everything appears to be fine, but we all know that doesn't mean everything really is. Thoughts?

My next guesses:

-CV joints?
-Dog bone?
-Control arms themselves?
-Strut?
-Axle(s)?
-Ball joints?
-Tie rod ends?
-Wheel bearing?
-Body damage?
-Hub(s)?

I'm at a loss. It has been almost a year now and this stupid thing is still here. What is really strange is that if the car is up in the air (suspension in droop) for more than 30 minutes then the popping, clicking, etc. noise doesn't come back for almost a day or two. I'm not sure if that gives any clues, but that's what I got...

The only thing missing from my signature is the WALK and both the Unibrace XB and UB. I'm back on stock end links since this issue never occurred before I bottomed out in Atlanta with stock end links.

 

[BurgerGuy]

bump.

 

[BurgerGuy]

It's the front sway bar bracket bolts. Just need to find a way to make them stop coming loose without using thread lock.